Pre Algebra Word Problems Worksheets
Our goal with these types of word problems is to have students get comfortable with writing their own equations and expressions from a story or scenario. This is a difficult transition for most students. I would start out with very basic operations such as single or two step problems that only involve addition and subtraction. Once they build some confidence in their abilities, it gets easier in a hurry. The problems that you will find that we put together here for you follow this mindset. We also expand as you move towards the homework sheets. These worksheets focus on solving word problems that involve some prealgebra skills.
Aligned Standard: 4.OA.A.3
- Step-By-Step Lesson- Toni has quite the sticker collection until she starts giving away her stickers.
- Guided Lesson - The cost of donuts, creating documents, and oil paintings are the main themes we explore.
- Guided Lesson Explanation - Every problem is broken down to the complete last rating possible.
- Pre Algebra Worksheet 1- Problems kids might run into all day, everyday.
- Practice Worksheet 2 - These are more geared towards fifth graders, as far as the scenarios placed at their feet.
- Answer Keys - These are for all the unlocked materials above.
Homework Sheets
The scenarios that you will find here are right on target.
- Homework 1 - The sum of four consecutive numbers is 114. What is the largest of these four numbers?
- Homework 2 - There were some apples in a basket. Kandy gave half of the apples to her friends. Then she gave 5 apples to her sister and is now left with 9 apples. How many apples were there in the basket initially?
Practice Worksheets
Pre algebra word problems that include: Cotton candy, aliens, buying movie ticket, sharing a bag of chips, and race cars are just the tip of the iceberg.
- Practice 3 - There are 110 pages in a book. Peterson started reading the book 8 days ago. 47 pages are still unread. How many pages has Peterson read?
- Practice 4 - There were 8 blue and 9 green balls in a box. Peter drew some balls randomly out of the box leaving behind a total of 6 balls in the box. How many balls did he draw randomly?
- Practice 5 - Shailene had 22 chocolates in her pocket. He gave some chocolates to her friends leaving behind 9 pockets in her pocket? How many chocolates did she give to her friends?
Math Skill Quizzes
For the quizzes we made the actual math involved a little easier, but the word problems a slight jump up.
- Quiz 1 - Allen has a collection of 12 stamps and he wants to have the collection of 45 stamps in 11 weeks. How many stamps does he need to collect per week?
- Quiz 2 - Sam is traveling at a speed of 70 miles per hour. If he wants to cover a distance of 350 miles then how much time will it take?
What Math Skills Should You Master Before Working with Algebra?
Learning algebra is an intimidating and cognitive milestone for most students. Most mathematical concepts before algebra focus on calculations. While learning algebra, students begin to explore the relationships between numbers, and the abstract concept of symbolism. Algebra builds the logical reasoning and develops the abilities of critical thinking.
There are a few pre-requisite skills that students need to polish before learning algebra. Below, we have briefly discussed some of them.
Arithmetic - Without a solid foundation in the four basic mathematic concepts, learning algebra becomes a tough challenge. Students need this concept to solve the algebraic equations and simplify the equations. Additionally, revising the times tables will also help students to solve the algebraic problems confidently.
Signed Numbers - The concept of signed numbers is the understanding of using the plus or minus sign with numbers. Students need to know when and where to appropriately use these signs, as these signs hold considerable significance in algebra.
Factors - Students need to know the factors of numbers. If students don't remember them, then they should be able to find those factors. The core concept of factors in grounded in solving fractions, but they provide major help in solving algebraic problems.
Exponents - Students must be familiar with the exponential notation and how to solve and evaluate the equations having exponents in them. Students must also know the negative exponents and how to deal with it.
Tips for Solving Pre Algebra Word Problems
When students first dip their tor in the pool of pre algebra they are a little off set by the concepts of unknowns and equation or expression rearrangement. When you translate that type of problem to story based setup it really can complicate things more. Here is a basic approach that we would encourage you to consider when attempting these types of exercises. The first, in my mind the most important, thing you should do is read the problem carefully and underline any keywords that could indicate an operation or equivalent attributes. You should have explored this skill when working with your more basic of word problems. Remember not to focus on the numbers as much as their relationship to other values, that is the key to understanding what is going on. Your next step is to explain the operations and equivalency, if there is any, in equation or expression form. This step takes a good deal of practice. I would highly encourage teachers to do dozens of problems like this as a class all at the same time. Once you have a solid expression or equation setup, you last task is to solve it. When ever you can, we would encourage you to draw pictures to display what is happening.